Overlord Above All
by HeartlessAlchemyst
Summary: The tale of a boy named Arkham who doesn't belong anywhere. In this world of kings and tyrants; of dark lords and elf queens. Can one boy survive? And at what cost? *Contains additional crossovers such as: Goblin Slayer, Mortal Kombat, Darkstalkers, etc.
1. Episode 1

_~Episode 1: The Curse of Empathy~_

_Apparently, I'm a mistake. Neither of us are meant to be in this world. So, let's find a place for people like us._

_Overlord Above All_

Far into the Northern countryside, where the winds are at their coldest; they fly down the mountains into valley full of nature and growth. In this bountiful valley, only one town has exists and it is dedicated to farming. Simple people of the land whose only hardship is dealing with the Imperial forces who return every year to negotiate a deal to take ownership of their land.

But the Imperial diplomat was not expected to arrive for another month; so the overall public consensus was to not worry too much about it for now. Though there was one boy in town whose mind was not fettered by a bad harvest, an unproductive herd, or an Imperial acquisition of his home.

Instead his mind seemed to wander; a trait unbecoming of his age and one that his parents felt he would grow out of by now. But his attention seemed far too preoccupied with tall tales of whispers from the forest in the morning and wailing from the clouds at night for him to concentrate on his chores.

One such day where he was in charge of looking after his father's goats, he heard the voices on the wind once again. But this time he was able to determine the words being said.

"...Never. ...Never again."

The boy could feel the sorrow in those words as his feet moved on their own in the direction of where he believed the voice came from. Deeper and deeper into the forest he trekked as he was reminded of the goats he had left behind. His father would certainly not be happy with him, but the boy had difficult time thinking of anything he did that DIDN'T upset his father.

He was hard pressed to recall a time when anyone was pleased with him. There was never a time in his life when he felt he truly understood the feelings of those around him. His mother believe he been cursed when he was born, his father on the other hand believed that his birth in of itself was the curse.

"Cursed by what, though?"

He thought to himself as as he came upon an old abandoned well and felt the darkness beckoning him to jump in. Never one to question his own impulses, the boy didn't hesitate to jump in as he he spread his arms out to slide down the well until he less than gracefully landed on the bottom.

The water had long since dried up, but the walls were worn down and withered from the years of neglect. The boy put his ear to the rocks and dirt as he could hear the sound of shallow breathing beyond the walls. He immediately started pulling the stone slabs away and dug through the dirt with his bare hands until he was stopped by the obstruction of one large stone wall with engravings of some arcane symbols.

The symbols were not entirely unrecognizable to him as he had studied his mother's magic books from time to time. Those same books told his mother that her son was cursed in some way, but could not explain how or by what or even what kind of curse it was. The only thing the boy could ascertain about these symbols is that they were some kind of sealing spell.

The boy could still hear the breathing inside. But where would the air be coming from? He knocked on the stone wall and awaited a response. He eventually got one in the form of a gasping and gravelly voice forcing out the only word it can:

"...Hel-lo?"

That was all he needed. The grabbed one of the stone slabs from the well and began slamming it into the seal with the intent to break a hole in it. And after several hours and dozens of crumbled stone slabs later, he finally chipped away at the wall enough to make a hole. It was only slightly wider than an eyeball, but it was enough to let some air into it and maybe some light from the sun later. But the light of the moon will have to do for now.

The boy peered through the hole as his bright green eyes scanned the inside for any sign of movement through the hollow darkness. His eye was soon met by another; a much larger one. The shroud of darkness had all but taken this creature's eyesight as the boy could barely make out the faded remains of what was once a bright red color as they two stared inches away from each other.

"You...are human?"

The boy answered him clearly.

"Yes. My name is Arkham. What are you doing in there?"

"...Paying the price for my Sin."

Arkham could see the tears welling in his eyes.

"What sin could you have done to deserve THIS?"

"Mine is a Sin of Wrath. So, they put me in here. Alone. In the dark. In the cold. As I choke on the same air I've been breathing for the last...I don't even know how long it's been."

Arkham seemed confused.

"You don't seem angry to me. Though I've never been good at reading other people's feelings."

"That just means the punishment is working. Very soon, my life will come to an end and that will be the end of my sentence."

Arkham pulled back as he excited himself with an idea.

"I'll go get some help! I'll break you out of here! Just hold on for a little longer and-"

"Enough! Boy. Do you know what I am?!"

He shouted which caused him a great deal of pain as he lowered his tone to ease his suffering.

"A demon. One of the Cardinal Sins, no less. You would be charged with heresy for merely conversing with me like this. And trying to free me from this prison….you'd be executed regardless of your age."

Arkham settled down and remained silent.

"Besides…*cough*...though I am a demon; my power has long since waned along with my Wrath. I cannot grant you any gift for your efforts. Hehe… My days of bargaining with humans are over."

The boy muttered under his breath with the slightest tone of defiance.

"...I don't care."

The demon almost wanted to take offense to this boy's disrespect, but was well past the days when he would've slain someone for such disrespect.

"You are certainly brave, boy. Or perhaps foolish beyond compare. No human has ever taken that tone with me. Though in the future, you may want to speak up when you wish to make yourself heard. If a fire isn't ROARING, then it's dying and you are far too young to be dying."

Arkham tries to raise his voice, but his upbringing makes breaking old habits hard.

"I don't care about power. You deserve to see the Sun again. Everyone deserves to that fresh mountain air. Besides...I don't want your WHINING to keep me up at night anymore."

His attempt to show some backbone amuses the demon.

"Ha ha ha! *cough* Brave AND foolish. No question about that. Very well. I shall promise not to bend your ear with my pathetic gasps now that you have given me this 'fresh mountain air'. But you must return home, boy. This is MY prison...not yours."

Arkham shrugs.

"Yeah. I've got my own to deal with. But I'll be back, Wrath."

"If I can't stop you...no one can."

The next morning brings a bright and warm day as Arkham emerges from his room to greet his mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Arkham. Did you sleep well? How was-"

The words caught in her mouth as she looked at him to see a bruise above his cheek.

"Gods above, Arkham! What happened?"

The boy avoided eye contact as he took a small breakfast and tried to quickly leave the house, but she grabbed his arm before he got away.

"...It was your father again, wasn't it?"

Arkham stuffed his face with food so he wouldn't have to talk.

"I told him to stop trying to teach you like everyone else. You're special, so you have special needs."

He couldn't decide which of his parents was more stubborn or which one caused him the most discomfort. A father who believed he needed to force competence on his son or a mother who never had faith he would ever have competence. One hurt his body, the other hurt his confidence.

His mother drones on about his "uniqueness" as he manages to lose her focus and sneak away. As Arkham made his way to the barn, he noticed his father checking on the condition of the remaining goats after some went missing.

Arkham grabbed a pitchfork as he snuck past his father and ran off back into the woods. He was so excited to break his friend out that he hardly paid any attention to where he was going as he bumped into someone and landed flat on his butt.

"What's the hurry, son? Did a hay bale escape the fields?"

He looked up to see a hooded man in an Imperial uniform with a handful of soldiers. A Sentinel. A seeker of magic. They always bring a more sizable group of soldiers to show off, but it seems they have grown weary of bringing the big stick. Regardless, he was the one that was most suspicious right now and needed an excuse.

"Uh...I'm looking for my father's lost goats."

The Sentinel offered the boy a hand up. As he took it, the Sentinel examined him.

"Hmm… I take it your home is nearby? If you could point us to the town. It seems our directions were less than accurate."

Arkham absentmindedly pointed the way he came.

"It's just past the brush over there. Keep going straight and you'll come upon my house. The rest of the town is just a bit further."

"I see. I knew we had to be getting close. Thank you..."

"A-Arkham, sir."

"Arkham? Interesting name. Any significance behind it?"

He shrugs.

"Not that they've ever told me."

"Alright then. I'll let you get back to your hunt...and we'll get back to ours. I'm sure your father will be most pleased with you when you return."

He rubs Arkham's head as he scampers off on his way again.

"I...doubt that."

As the boy disappears from sight, one of the soldiers asks the Sentinel.

"What did you see, Sentinel? Is he a magic user?"

"...No. But he HAS been in contact with one. One of dark magic it seems."

After climbing back into the well, Arkham wastes no time in trying to widen the hole. The demon can't wrap his mind around the boy's actions.

"Boy. Why do you persist? What do you see in me that drives you like a man possessed?"

"I see myself. I see a cursed being trapped in a prison that crushes his very spirit. Someone who believes they deserve to be punished because no one ever came to their defense, so it must be just."

The demon exalts the boy.

"You ally yourself with a demon for nothing more than familiarity? To fulfill some fantasy that you wish upon yourself? I can't decide if that's prideful or selfish. I wonder which Sin you would be if you were a demon."

"Where do demons go. Where do they call home when they're not trapped in a cave deep underground."

Wrath chuckles.

"We live in a BIG cave deep underground...though it is much warmer and not nearly as lonesome. The Netherworld is the original home to all demons. But the gates between this world and my world have been destroyed."

"Which means...even if I break you out of this hole...your still trapped in a prison?"

He sighs.

"All my brothers and sisters who remain in this world are imprisoned. Everyday we grow weaker as we are hunted down for sport, glory, money or revenge."

"That's cruel!"

Arkham suddenly cracks open a hole big enough to but his arm through as Wrath barely manages to squeeze his massive finger through the hole as it pulls up Arkham's chin.

"You know, I think I've figured out what your curse is..."

His claw wipes away the boy's tears.

"...It's a curse of Empathy."

"Is that why I have such a hard time with other people? I empathize with demons more than humans? Apparently, I'm a mistake. Neither of us are meant to be in this world. So, let's find a place for people like us."

Wrath coughs up a storm as he struggles to stay with him.

"I'm...*cough*...afraid you'll have to go find it on your own. But allow me to offer you…*cough*...my support in your endeavor. My Wrath. Though it has all but died in my heart…*cough*...it will be born anew in yours."

"Your wrath? What will that do?"

"Only what you desire. Wrath is the power to act on your deepest impulses with frightening commitment. But you must keep…*cough*...that fire burning strong. And…*cough*...should you ever meet the other Cardinal Sins…*cough*...please let them know...I...I..."

He failed to finish his last words as the final breath was drawn and a small red fire sprouted on his finger tip like a candle.

Arkham solemnly knelt down and paid his respects as he took the flame into his right palm and closed his hand around it as it burned his hand; leaving a red mark up the middle of his forearm that just looked like a fire tattoo made of scar tissue.

The body of Wrath turned to ash as Arkham reached inside the hole to grab one little remnant of the corpse. He soon climbed out of the well only to see smoke in the distance.

He quickly ran back home to find the whole town in ruins as houses burned and the townsfolk were slaughtered in the streets. He came upon his own house to find it untouched by the destruction.

"It seemed rude to destroy your home when you weren't there."

Arkham turned to see the Sentinel sitting on the fence around the barn.

"...However, your father was none too pleased when we told him we had encountered you earlier. His temper got the better of him before we could explain and we were forced to put him down. Your mother was a hysterical mess after that, so we needed to silence her too."

Arkham doesn't respond as he keeps his face down and grips the pitchfork tighter and tighter.

"Anyways, I'll cut straight to the point. I sensed traces of dark magic from you earlier and decided we should 'cleanse' the whole town just to be safe. But we did not find the source. And now that you're here, I can see that you have been granted some kind of dark power. It's dripping off of you. So, there must be a demon in this valley that you made a bargain with. Tell me where it is...or I'll send you to join your family."

"You...came to this town...for a demon?"

Arkham speaks softly as the soldiers begin to surround him.

"Well, we originally came to intimidate the governor into relinquishing this land to the Empire. But when I found you, I realized we had...probable cause for concern and found it was within my duties as a Sentinel to extinguish the threat before it has time to take root. But yes...we are here for a demon NOW. Be a good boy, and take us too him so that we may cleanse him."

"...You found him."

The Sentinel leaned and and cupped his ear.

"Pardon? Speak up, boy."

"YOU FOUND HIM!"

Arkham reaches into his shirt and pulls out the piece of Wrath the remained. His heart. Arkham drops the heart on the ground as he brandishes his pitchfork into the air while a red and black flame engulfs it.

"Is that...a heart of a Cardinal Sin?! What are you doing, Arkham?!"

The Sentinel got up in a panic as the soldiers moved in on the boy. Arkham's green eyes were now overcome with a burning red flame.

"Paying the price for my Sin!"

He impales the heart with his weapon as the reaction causes and dark explosion of immense power and size to destroy the entire valley and render the land blighted.

The shockwaves can be felt deep underground in the fiery depths of the Netherworld. A vast underground castle hanging from the ceiling as lava flowed below and floating rocks encircled the structure.

Inside the castle, a woman with horns, long black hair, and yellow eyes noticed the tremors and recognized the power that made them.

"...Asmodeus?"

She spread her black feathered wings and took off in search of another woman in the lower parts of the castle napping near the forge.

"Morrigan! Wake up!"

The sleeping beauty opened her green eyes and brushed her light green hair out of her face as she yawns and her bat-like wings stretch from both her back and her head.

*Yawn*

"What is it, Albedo?"

"Asmodeus. His flames of Wrath have been rekindled."

Morrigan stared at Albedo in disbelief.

"Impossible. No human would dare free him and he would never grant his power to an heir."

"Then he must've escaped of his own volition. Either way...there's no mistaking it. The flames of Wrath have been unleashed into the world of men once again."

They both ponder what to do as Morrigan begins to feel it herself.

"It's him alright. Do you think he's trying to give us a sign? He could be trying to send a message."

"Well then…dear Sloth. Message received. The Seven Deadly Sins shall be reunited."

Morrigan despises her title as mocks Albedo in return.

"Well, how are we supposed to contact the other Sins...Lust."

Albedo ignores the condescending tone from her sister as she comes up with an idea.

"I believe there is a creature in the world of men that responds to the authority of the Netherworld. What was that goblin's name? ...Gnarl?"

***For those of you who voted in my last poll. The winner was Green: Path of of Creation. You will start noticing what that means in the next chapter. In the meantime, new poll! What weapon should Arkham use(cause the pitchfork ain't stayin) 1. Axe, 2. Spear, or 3. Something in between(like a Halberd or a Billhook) Results of the poll will be revealed in the following chapter***


	2. Episode 2

_~Episode 2 - Evil Always Finds a Way~_

_"A traitor to the end."_

_Intro: Rightfully by Mili_

"Once upon a time, there was...an ending. The end of the reign of humans. It began with the rise to power of our glorious Overlord, Ainz Ooal Gown. And I, Gnarl the Minion Master foresaw his destiny was to conquer the world and made it a point to pledge my fidelity to him without question. Of course, my goblin brothers followed my lead. It took no time at all. He became the true Overlord over the world.

But it was not to last. For you see, for all of his power, his ruthlessness, his brilliance...our master did have one enemy that prevented him from keeping his rule last until the end of time. Can any of you tell me what the name of that enemy was?"

A disfigured and slouched over old goblin asked his legion of young goblin children. As they sat around him looking starry eyed at the wonder of his tale. But no one could answer his question.

"Boredom. That pesky thing kept popping up when things went our master's way for too long. He grew tired of winning, tired of ruling, tired being on top of the world. And thus, one day he cast out his generals, released his servants, dissolved his empire and left the shattered remains of his armies fight over his lands in war after war that continues even to this day."

One of the goblin kids spoke up.

"What happened to Lord Ainz, Grandpa Gnarl?"

"The only ones who know that are his old generals. And only ONE of them is known to still visit our world from time to time. Albedo, the succubus. She claims that there was a tomb built in secret where our master intended to live out the rest of his eternal life inside of. Since he was a Lich of the highest order and could not die, perhaps he desired to simply observe our world decay into chaos as his one last act of evil."

Another goblin asked.

"Where is this tomb?"

"No one knows. Not even Albedo. It is clear from his actions that Lord Ainz has elected to abandon his minions to make their own path. So, that is what we will do...we Goblins will search high and low for new Overlord. Someone to shake the world to it's core. Someone to unleash a new terror upon the land. Someone who'll really make them scream."

*Goblin shriek*

"Kind of like that, though more human or elf-like."

The kids look around in confusion as Gnarl realizes that came from outside their little crevice in the cave and goes to investigate. He reached the hallway where an older goblin came running to him with bad news.

"Gnarl! Take the kids and run! HE'S HERE!"

Gnarl's big eye got a little bigger as he knew exactly who he meant.

_Goblin Slayer: Battle Urge_

"...The Slayer. Alright kids! Time to play Hide-and-Hide! Follow Grandpa Gnarl! Under no circumstances do you you stop for potty breaks! And when we see the glowing red light, what do we do?"

The kids all recite the number one rule.

"RUN LIKE HELL!"

They retreat into a hidden passage deeper into the cave with only the sound heavy footsteps clanking in the distance.

Goblin Slayer returns to the guild cover in blood; a sight so familiar to everyone that they should have a towel or something reserved for him by now. As he makes his way to the front desk; the Sorceress notices his return and gets a little anxious about approaching him. A man covered head-to-toe in full plate armor, dripping in blood tends to put off most people, but she wasn't afraid of his actions; she was afraid of his response.

She waits for him to finish turning in his report and taking his reward, then she intercepts him before he leaves the guild.

"Goblin Slayer. A moment of your time?"

"Is it about goblins?"

She shrugs. She couldn't really say she was surprised by his response, but she was hoping he'd let her explain before he started making his own conclusions.

"Uh...not exactly."

He immediately turns back toward the door to leave as the Sorceress panics.

"Ah! Wait wait wait! Will you at least hear me out first?"

He pauses for a moment and relents as he follows her to discuss her offer at a table.

"Thank you. I'll make it brief. There's talk of a demon being used as 'entertainment' at the coliseum in Ardenfall. A cowardly traitor to his own species."

"Sounds like he's getting what he deserves already. If you want him dead, he'll probably be killed within the week. Be it by through combat or through starvation and disease."

Nervous that he was looking for a way to dismiss her again, she quickly got to the point.

"It's rumored that he knows not only the location of the last gateway to the Netherworld, but also the secret hideout of a Goblin Lord and his horde."

"...Goblin Lord, you say? I'm in. We need to interrogate this...what's it called again?"

"Demon."

"Interrogate that thing and then we can slay the Goblins."

He immediately gets up and heads for the door again.

"Do...do you even know where Ardenfall is?! W-wait for me!"

She fumbled around with her gear to hurry and follow him.

The city of Ardenfall was a dirty and rundown excuse of a town. The only building that was given enough attention to be kept in semi-decent shape was the coliseum, which is exactly where Goblin Slayer and Sorceress went. One of the guards informed them:

"If you wanna see 'Rat-Snake', you can watch him fight for his life like everyone else."

Sorceress pulled Goblin Slayer away from the guard before he tried something.

"Listen. Why don't we just go into the stands. You keep an eye on him in the audience and I'll go find whoever's in charge and see if I can convince them to let us interrogate...uh...Rat-Snake was it?"

"How do you intend to convince them?"

She smirked as she pulled down the top of her dress ever so slightly to better expose her skin.

"I have my ways."

Inside the stadium of death, a large crowd of loud and obnoxious fans cheered as Goblin Slayer and Sorceress made their way through the sea of people. Sorceress uses her superior height advantage to peer over the crowd as she spotted the demon in question as well as his opponent.

A boy with bluish white hair shaved down to a mohawk that extends into a long braid in the back. He had a web of red cracks in the dark green of his eyes as well as what looked like a red tribal mark in the shape of a hand over his left eye that spread above his ear toward the top of his head.

"It's a city of monsters! We need to hurry! Before the demon kills that boy!"

The Sorceress hurries as much as she can while pushing and shoving through the masses of people to make her way toward the overlook where - no doubt - the head of this establishment would be.

Goblin Slayer instead takes a seat near the front row as there were plenty of people willing to get out of his way once they took one look at him. The announcer began introducing the combatants.

"In the south gate, we have our surviving champion. Rat-Snake!"

"_BOOOOO!"_

"How much longer can he last? Will this challenger be his last?"

Challenger? Did this boy CHOOSE to enter the ring with a demon? Goblin Slayer considered the boy carefully.

"And in the north gate, we have our challenger. Arkham!"

"_Yeeeeah! Kill him!"  
_  
"He may be young, but don't let that fool you. This boy is something of a demon himself."

The boy and the demon glare at each other as Rat-Snake lets out bellowing laugh.

"HA! Are they so desperate to kill demons that they'd resort to throwing children at me?!"

Arkham kept his voice low as to not be heard by the onlookers.

"As if you're one to talk DESPERATION. You betray your own kind. Make deals with humans to save your own skin if it meant you spent just one more day in freedom."

The demon's smug grin quickly turns into a sneer as he growled, but let this stupid boy continue to dig his own grave.

"Rat-Snake? That's the name these humans gave you, right? It suits you. A vile, cowardly, fork-tongued pest of a creature that lies through his teeth to his kin. You don't deserve the wings on your back. Those are reserved for REAL demons; not a disgrace like you."

"Silence! You dare call me a coward?!"

The announcer gets excited.

"Ooo. Sounds like Arkham has a mouth on him. I wonder what he said to get him so riled up. You've got to have some serious balls to taunt a hungry demon."

Arkham now raises his voice for all to hear.

"Prove me wrong then! Prove all of us wrong, Rat-Snake! If you are not a coward...then leave! Spread your wings and fly away! No demon would LET themselves be imprisoned by humans. If you are not a coward, then go! What's stopping you?!"

His call out earned a few cautious glares from the guards watching from specific points with crossbows in hand. The demon began sweating as he wrestled with the idea, but his feet remained clasping to the ground.

"No? Why not? Do you fear humans, Rat-Snake?!"

Arkham spreads his arms, egging the crowd on as the cheer in response.

"_Yeah! Fly away! Just try it!"_

"Grrr….SHUT UP! What do you know of demons, you little shit!?"

He pulled his wings back as got on all fours and pounced at the boy with claw extended. He roared in aggravation as the crowd watched with bated breath. Arkham dropped to his chest to evade the attack and quickly rolled over to grab the demon's tail to yank him back to his feet. Using the momentum from the demon's pounce, he let go of the tail and leaped onto his back.

Arkham was far from heavy, but his weight was just too much for the atrophied muscles of the starving demon. Rat-Snake fell to the ground as the boy put his one foot on his neck and another on his tail as his body kept his arms trapped.

"I know enough to know a DISGRACE when I see one!"

The crowd gasped in shock, but was soon overcome with excitement as Arkham wrapped the demon's wings around his arms tightly as he gripped the base.

"I told you...you don't deserve these wings!"

Both the crowd and Rat-Snake suddenly realized what he was doing.

"...No! Please!"

"_YES! Do it! Do It! Do it!"_

The demon's cries of defiance where drowned out by the chanting of the crowd. But Goblin Slayer; the only silent observer in the crowd noticed the boy leaned in to hear something the demon muttered in his final moments. But the boy pulled back and tugged on the wings with all his might as he feet kept the body pinned down.

The demon cried and wailed in agony as the boy heaved one last time and ripped the huge wings clean off of the beast's back. Arkham then held up his prize in glory as the people went applauded.

Arkham looked up to the main balcony where the game master was watching. A large and burly man who looked like a gladiator himself brandishing a gigantic maul monstrous helmet observed the match with satisfaction despite the continued interference of his enjoyment by some vulgar woman. The man let out only two words. A demand that's weight was carried by his powerful voice.

"FINISH HIM!"

As Arkham looked back at Rat-Snake's cowering and shivering body struggling to crawl away, he whispered to the demon.

"A traitor to the end."

With those final words, he stomped on the demon's neck ferociously again and again until it snapped completely. The game master declared the match over.

"FATALITY! Arkham wins!"

The crowd gave their last cheers. Goblin Slayer never broke his gaze from the boy as Sorceress returned to him dejected.

"I couldn't stop him in time. I guess that's the end of this job. I'm sorry for wasting your time, Goblin Slayer."

"Not yet."

He stated plainly as he got up and left with no further explanation.

"Huh? What do you mean? Goblin Slayer? Where are you going now?!"

Inside the barracks of the coliseum, the game master congratulated Arkham and decided to personally give him the prize money for winning.

"As promised. 1000 gold. I am a man of my word. I knew you had fire, boy. I didn't believe it burned to brightly."

Arkham took his money, not wanting this conversation to go on longer than it needed to.

"Thank you, Lord Kahn."

"Shao Kahn, my boy. I see a great future for you. You could be the greatest of champions. Perhaps, you'd consider entering a special tournament?"

Arkham took a step back and bowed respectfully.

"You honor me, Shao Kahn. But I'm afraid I have other obligations at the moment. However...should I ever find an opportunity-"

"The offer stands. We WILL meet again, boy. Take the cretin's wings as a gift."

He accepts his bonus reward as the large man leaves him. Just as Arkham turns to leave, he is approached by the woman who was seen with Shao Kahn earlier and man covered in armor.

"Oh. Shao Kahn's mistress, right?"

"Excuse me?"

She looked highly offended.

"I'm sorry. I saw you up there with him and it looked like you were seducing him, so I figured..."

"Not at all! I don't know what you think you saw...but it wasn't that!"

She shrugs off the misunderstanding and starts over.

"Nevermind that. We need to discuss something with you."

The boy became suspicious. Did they know what he was? Did he reveal too much in the arena? He was certain he held back sufficiently, but the man in armor revealed their purpose for him before his mind wandered too far.

"What did that thing tell you before he died."

"Demon."

The Sorceress clarified as Arkham sighed in relief.

"Oh...just the location of some goblin nest. He thought if he ratted out one more group of hiding monsters that I'd let him live. See where that got him. Anyways, it's nothing worth fretting over."

"Where?!"

Goblin Slayer got right up in the boy's face.

"What?"

Obviously uncomfortable from his forcefulness, Arkham pulled back as Sorceress tried to put a leash on her party member.

"Goblin Slayer!"

"Where are the goblins?"

Arkham scowled for bit as he tried to understand this puzzle of a man before him. Who obsesses over goblins? Sorceress tried to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.

"Forgive him. He doesn't believe in...personal space. We need the location of the goblin nest because we believe that it hides another secret."

"SHE does. I only care about the goblins."

Arkham shrugs.

"I gathered as much. Anyways, what secret could a goblin nest possibly hide?"

She leaned over to his level, which gave him quite a view of the valley as she whispered in his ear:

"The last gateway to the Netherworld."

"Netherworld? The home of all demons? But I thought all the gates were destroyed."

She leans in closer.

"We- er...I believe that there is ONE more gate. If we find it and secure from the goblins protecting it, we'll be able to cut off demons from entering our world AND we'll trap any others trying to escape into theirs. How bout that? Pretty big secret, huh?"

He was only half paying attention as his eyes were fixated on her assets.

"Yeah...BIG."

"So...will you give it to me?"

That snapped him back to attention as it got him thinking naughty thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"The location. Will you give to me?"

"Oh...right. Uh...how about we make a deal? You let me join your party and I'll show you to the goblin nest myself and we can take them out together."

The two adventurers talked it over in private for a bit before deciding. Sorceress obviously being the one who had any objections due to his age and Goblin Slayer's only condition being that the boy stay out of his way.

"Deal. But we need to get you a weapon first, at least. And can you lose the demon wings? They're going to be a hindrance if your carrying them around all the time."

Arkham smugly holds up his huge bag of prize money.

"Don't worry about the weapon. But you can forget about the wings. These stay with me."

She rolls her eyes.

"Alright, fine. Goblin Slayer. You go pick out a weapon. I'll help the kid be a little more practical."

Goblin Slayer nods as Arkham yanks on her dress.

"Hey! Don't call me kid. My name is A-"

Sorceress put her fingers on his lips.

"No names. Not in this line of work. Goblin Slayer! What should we call him?"

He looked back only for a moment as he pondered a suitable title before he came up with something adequate.

"...Hunter."

Arkham sits on a barrel in an alley impatiently as Sorceress fiddles around with a needle and thread she had on her...where she was keeping it in that outfit, he had no idea.

"Are you done yet?"

"I would be...if you stopped fidgeting around, you fidgeter."

He groaned.

"Ugh. If you're as good at sowing as you are at coming up with insults, I'm fucked."

"Hey now. Where did you learn such vulgarity?"

"My father. About the only thing he taught me that I can actually do right."

She stayed silent for a while until she finished her work.

"There. All done. What do you think?"

He stands up and looks at a window on one of the shops. She had sown the wings together at the base and draped them over his shoulders. She used the claws as hooks to turn the whole thing into a cloak with the fuzzy hair around the claws giving the impression of a fur collar.

"Wow. It...actually doesn't look terrible."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding. It looks great. Thank you."

He practices flourishing with it in his reflection, but quickly returns to normal once Goblin Slayer returns with his weapon.

"This should be perfect for you."

He hands Arkham a medium sized axe with a black and red half heart shape for a blade.

"Simple, but effective. Not too heavy, not too light. Can be thrown and the blade is big enough to effectively deflect arrows. Allows for clean cuts with getting stuck in goblin bodies."

"Nice. And how's it against other enemies?"

Goblin Slayer only stared at him blankly. At least...they assumed it was blank.

"...Got it. Thanks anyways...uh...Goblin Slayer."

Sorceress brought them back to reality.

"Well. Now that we're all properly geared up. Let's head out. Hunter. Lead the way."

"Hmm? Oh, right. That's me. Uh...follow me."

They head out on their journey as Arkham came up with some talking points for the trip.

"Hey. We should have a name."

The two of them were about to dispute him before he corrected himself.

"No. I mean like a party name. For our team. How about...Cardinal Vice?"

Sorceress grasped the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh.

"Ugh...Teenagers."

***Intro song is open to change. Axe won the poll by one vote. If you're wondering if I'm using the Sorceress from Dragon's Crown or the one from Goblin Slayer, my answer is...yes. Certain details about her appearance are left ambiguous so you can "choose you favorite flavor" of sexy sorceress***


End file.
